Meet Paloma Vazquez: Data-Driven Brand Marketing Strategist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paloma Vazquez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paloma, what habits do you feel helped you succeed?
I’ve always run relatively Type A, and there are certain tendencies that naturally come with that territory that I feel anyone can apply – whether you’re a settled-from-the-womb Type A or not  So I settled on 5 practices that I feel have the most impactful for me, and that I practice daily: 1) Identify high-value actions you’ll take for your business daily or weekly – and then schedule and commit to them, no matter what. For example, scheduling 5 networking lunches or connections per week. Or Identifying 3 brands and businesses to which you could bring value, and finding your proposition to pitch them. 2) Do your research – continually (and never stop learning). Part of my job is to “see” certain shifts in consumer behavior coming, before they become mainstream. Consumer behavior never stops changing – which means that my research is never fully “done”. So I continually read, talk to my clients’ customers, monitor key platforms, invest in databases and in continuing education, and essentially never stop learning. 3) Persist. Recognize that the actions you take today won’t necessarily bear fruit tomorrow. Not every e-mail introduction you make will be opened or answered. Not every pitch will be made at the right time (brands/businesses may be happy with their current solution provider – or they may not). But trust that persistence will pay off over time. It may take 3 years to land that “dream client”. But every project or client you do gain during the time leading up to it WILL serve as a bridge that leads you there. 4) Be kind. ALWAYS. Wish that the people you reach out to would respond kindly letting you know they’re happy with their current resource, but will keep your reference on file? Then do the same for those that pitch you. 5) Take time to clear your head – and step away from all devices. When I need to solve a challenge, or figure out how I’m going to address a tricky scenario, 99% of the time, the answer comes to me after I’ve done the work and step away from my laptop. It comes to me when I’m running, or cooking, or in the shower. Your mind needs that time away to connect the dots. Let it breathe.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Luna Brand Consulting is a woman-owned small business working with big brands (and those with big aspirations). I started Luna after nearly two decades working with global brands in multi-disciplinary corporate marketing and advertising roles – and from a vision to bridge the discipline and sophistication of corporate marketing with the agile + innovative spirit of small business. In other words, Luna Brand Consulting was born to provide clients and partners the discipline and experience of Global, corporate marketing with the personalized touch of a boutique shop. Luna’s specialty – what I and we do the absolute best – has evolved over the past 6 years. At first, Luna acted as an outsourced VP or Director of Marketing for businesses that did not need a full-time, or permanent VP of Marketing. We basically solved marketing problems, providing more specialized services when full-time or existing agency resources could not be tapped into as a resource. It allowed Luna to develop and grow a portfolio of “marketing problems solved”. But the common thread was always using research and data to solve those problems and answer key questions – whether the ultimate deliverable was a customer journey, a brand marketing strategy, consumer insights, or marketing dashboards. But it was a conversation in 2020 that really cemented for me what makes us different. A client/partner observed “you’re VERY good at answering questions with creative data sources that we didn’t realize existed.” That crystallized for me what it is that Luna does best (and differently) – finding consumer and business insights at the intersection of data and creativity (because the data won’t always tell you the story – you need to thread it together.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I LOVE Miami in the “Winter” (tee hee) and Spring the most, so I’m going to pretend my friend is visiting now in January/February. I’m happiest outdoors and active, so bear that in mind  I’d start with a day trip to Islamorada in the Keys – lunch with stone crab (still in season!) outdoors on a deck (like Lazy Days, Marker 88 or Lorelei), maybe stay the night at Cheeca Lodge and do one of their sunset sails. When back in Miami, we’d have to go paddle boarding, ideally by Sunset Harbour. Which would perfectly coincide with some copas y tapas at Barceloneta afterwards. And of course, on Saturday morning, I’d persuade my friend to join me for a swim and run with The Miami Tri Club on Key Biscayne. The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Oh, goodness. There are so many people I want to give a shoutout to! First, God for blessing me with the ability to run my own business for over 6 years now – it’s truly been a joy and I’m grateful for the opportunities that come my way daily. My family for encouraging me to go out on my own when I did. Luna Brand Consulting’s clients for being more than just clients – but partners that have chosen Luna and myself as their marketing partner for years now. I’d even like to credit every former colleague that ever underestimated me – even the negative experiences can be turned into positives that light your fire and set you free to shine.

Website: www.lunabrandconsulting.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lunabrandconsulting/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lunabrandconsulting/
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Image Credits
Michelle Citrin, Photographer